Canadian Wings :: The History & Heritage of the Royal Canadian Air Force

Vickers GUNBUS

The Vickers Fighting Biplane 5 was the first aircraft specifically designed as a fighter for the Royal Flying Corps. It featured unstaggered, equal-span wings with a tail boom of steel tubing with wooden struts. The fuselage nacelle had a blunt aluminum nose on top of which was fitted a Lewis machine gun on a pillar mount. With its engine mounted behind the cockpit, it the first pusher to enter service during World War I. Commonly referred to as the "Gunbus," it was armed with a moveable, forward firing machine gun. Vulnerable to attack from the rear, the Gunbus was soon replaced by more advanced single-seat fighter aircraft. Canadian crews saw service in F.B. 5 while attached to RFC units.